Traditionally, a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material has usually been processed using an automatic processing machine. For example, an image is obtained by subjecting a light-sensitive material to imagewise exposure, then transferring it to a developing tank by means of a roller transfer mechanism, and immersing it in the developer being stored in the developing tank for a given period.
Problems posed by such a method of development include exhaustive deterioration of active ingredients of the developer being stored in the developing tank during the running treatment process, and inactivation of the developing agent due to time-related oxidation. As for oxidation, it can be prevented to some extent by reducing the area of the opening of the developing tank, but deterioration during storage is inevitable as long as the solution is used repeatedly.
There have been many proposals regarding a method of preventing these developer deteriorations. For example, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection Nos. 144502/1975, 62004/1979, 115039/1980 and 12645/1981 describe methods of recovering exhaustive deterioration of the developer by continuously or intermittently supplying a developer replenisher according to the amount of processing.
However, these methods all have a shortcoming of in constant finish performance because the developer composition for a development which follows the first development changes from that for the first development, strictly speaking, which means that photographic processing characteristics vary among the developing processes.